Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin today said that it is up to Ibrahim Ali to offer an award in his name as he is an alumnus of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

“Ibrahim Ali wants to give back (to his alma mater ), so he is offering an award to students of UiTM. It is offered by him, not by the university.

usm apex university 040908 mohamed khaled nordin “So, we don’t need to gemparkan (make a fuss). This is Ibrahim Ali, not UiTM. The question is whether the students want to accept it or not. To date no one wants it yet,” he added.

Khaled (left) made the comments during a press conference after launching the Setiawangsa Metro Polytechnique in Kuala Lumpur today.

Without expressing specific support for the particular award, Khaled said the government encouraged students to give back to their alma mater .

“If we look at overseas countries, the strength of the institution is from the contributions of its former students. (For example), Harvard has collected billions of dollars from its alumni.

“They (the students) know that they have gained knowledge from their institution and now it’s time to give back. So, it’s the same case with Ibrahim Ali,” he said.

The comments come after UiTM received a barrage of criticism from parties both in the ruling and opposition coalitions after news of the award in Ibrahim’s name was reported by Malaysiakini on Monday.

VC: Award pending approval

NONE UiTM’s Institut Pemikiran dan Kepimpinan Melayu (Impak) website had put up detailed information for students to apply for the award which offers a cash prize of RM5,000 from the Perkasa president himself.

Among the criteria is that students had to prove they have “clear and consistent” principles in upholding their race.

The webpage has since been taken down, with UiTM vice-chancellor Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar clarifying that the award had not been approved and was overlooked by the university authority.

Sahol Hamid said that the award was mooted by the Pasir Mas MP and was pending approval from the university senate and board of directors.